Sports bag

ABSTRACT

The sports bag of the present invention is preferably used for the transport and storage of hockey equipment. The bag comprises a base to which side walls and end walls are hingedly connected. The bag can occupy a planar configuration, when the base, side walls and end walls are co-planar, or in a closed configuration, when the walls are hinged upwardly from the base and connected to each other, preferably by zippers, at adjacent edges to define an interior space. Pockets disposed on the interior surfaces of the bag are made of material, such as nylon mesh, which allows air to circulate through the pockets, expediting evaporation of moisture from an item of sports equipment or clothing inside a respective pocket. In the planar configuration, the bag may be suspended vertically from a hanger to minimize the space required for air-drying of the sports equipment items in the pockets.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to bags used for transport and storage of itemsof sports equipment and clothing, which facilitate organization of theitems and evaporation of moisture therefrom, and particularly to bagsfor transporting hockey equipment.

BACKGROUND

Hockey equipment is conventionally transported and stored in a dufflebag. Although a duffle bag allows for compact containment of the hockeyequipment, it also has the disadvantage that the individual items ofequipment are stored in an unorganized fashion therein, often requiringan individual to rummage through the contents to retrieve a particularitem.

Another disadvantage of the duffle bag is that perspirationmoisture-laden clothing and equipment must be removed from the bag tofacilitate optimal moisture evaporation and to avoid mildew formation.Once formed, mildew may cause rot, necessitating replacement of clothingor equipment items due to physical deterioration and unpleasant odour.

To expedite evaporation, individual items of clothing and equipment areoften strewn about an area, leaving such an area in unsightly disarray.When re-packing the dried equipment or clothing items into the dufflebag, it is possible to unknowingly omit items or to erroneously pack thewrong items if more than one person's clothing and equipment are strewnabout the same general area. When athletes are travelling on a road tripor to a tournament, they often stay in hotel rooms with inadequate spacefor the drying of sports equipment.

Bags and other types of carriers which open to provide a planar surfacewith integral pockets are known, for example, garment bags such as thosedescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,342 and Canadian Patent Application No.2,169,994. Other bags designed to hold various tools or household itemsare also known, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,738,547 and5,002,401. However, these prior designs do not address the particularneeds of the hockey player or other individual transporting bulkysporting equipment and clothing (hereinafter referred to simply assports equipment).

Prior art designs have addressed the deficiencies of the conventionalduffle bag style of hockey bag in attempts to facilitate moistureevaporation or to improve the organization of the contents throughcompartmentalization.

Canadian Patent Application No. 2,018,895 (Collins) discloses a hockeyequipment bag comprising interior compartments for separating articlesof clothing and equipment. The bag has two main storage compartmentshingedly connected and secured together with a zipper or other closuremeans. However, in the opened position, although certain individualitems of clothing or equipment are segregated, other items such as wetarticles are combined within a compartment, requiring eventual removalfor moisture evaporation to occur.

Canadian Patent Application No. 2,091,612 (Dicaire) discloses a garmentbag which may be transformed into a drying device. An interior rigidframe comprising three hingedly connected sections corresponding to thetwo sides and the base of the bag, is integral to the interior of thebag and is surrounded by and removable from the flexible exteriorenvelope of the bag. Mesh pockets are attached to the rigid frame, and ahanger is supplied on one end of the frame to allow the frame to hangvertically above the ground. Articles of clothing or equipment can beseparately stored in distinct pockets to allow for evaporation ofmoisture. Although this garment bag allows for compartmentalized storageof various articles, the frame makes the bag bulky and rigid which is adisadvantage when, for example, the bag is being transported in avehicle which has marginally adequate space, and compression of the bagis required. Additionally, although the interior frame allows forvertical hanging above the ground, inconveniently, detachment from theflexible exterior envelope is required prior to hanging.

Canadian Patent No. 1,278,550 (Dickson et al.) discloses a storage bagintended for use in the storage or transport of hockey or footballequipment, containing inner mesh pockets to readily allow ambient air toevaporate moisture from objects within the pockets. This storage bag hasone main opening, similar to the top end opening of a duffle bag anddiffering therefrom in that the opening extends down the two end sidesof the bag to the base of the bag so that the bag is hingedly openable,similar to a conventional suitcase. The bag may be hung vertically fromat least one hook on an end side to allow drying of the contentscontained therein. However, unless the bag is hung from a plurality ofpoints along an end side, access to the contents when the bag is in anopened position becomes cumbersome.

Canadian Patent No. 1,275,389 (Baker) teaches a sports equipment bagwhich opens to a planar conformation to permit evaporative drying ofequipment stored therein. The bag has a plurality of straps and pocketsto retain the equipment. However, in order to hang vertically, the bagmust be suspended from a plurality of points along a longitudinal edgeof the bag. This design is impractical since a great deal of space isoccupied in order to adequately space the hooks apart. Additionally, ifan athlete is on a road trip, the reduced availability of space andhooks limits the usefulness of the invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,329 (Choy) described a multi-compartmented bag whichfacilitates the segregation of moisture-laden and dry clothing orequipment. Water-proof compartments ensure that transfer of moisturebetween compartments is avoided. Disadvantageously, the contents of thecompartments must be removed to allow moisture evaporation therefrom.

Canadian Patent Application No. 2,110,661 (Clement) describes anequipment bag having a removable inner mesh sack. The mesh sack isreadily permeable to ambient air, thus allowing drying of the clothingor equipment contained therein, but for optimal moisture evaporation,the contents of the mesh bag would still require removal and separation.Additionally, the contents of the inner mesh bag remain unorganized, andto recover any particular object from the inner mesh sack, rummagingthrough the contents of the sack is required.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a sports bag whichobviates or mitigates the deficiencies of the prior art.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sports bag whichfacilitates organization of the sports equipment to be stored andtransported therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sports bag whichpromotes evaporative drying of the equipment contained therein withoutremoval of the equipment from the bag, and which may be easily suspendedvertically from a hook without occupying excessive space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a sports bag forpromoting evaporative drying of items contained therein, the sports bagcomprising

a) a rectangular base;

b) first and second side walls hingedly connected to respective oppositeside edges of the base;

c) first and second end walls hingedly connected to respective oppositeend edges of the base;

wherein the side walls and end walls are formed of a flexible materialand, in a first configuration, the base, side walls and end walls areco-planar, and, in a second configuration, the side walls and end wallsextend upwardly from the base, and edges of the end walls are joined toadjacent edges of the side walls via co-operating separable fasteningmeans;

d) a plurality of pockets disposed- on interior surfaces of the base andside walls, the pockets comprising a moisture- and air-permeablematerial which permits air to circulate therethrough;

e) top closure means to releasably connect distal edges of the sidewalls, thereby enclosing the interior surface of the bag when in thesecond configuration; and

f) a hanger mechanism connected to the distal edge of the first sidewall, the hanger mechanism having a first rigid member adapted to extendalong the distal edge of the first side wall, and a centrally locatedhanger loop;

whereby the sports bag may be suspended vertically by the hanger loopwhen in the first configuration to allow for evaporative drying of itemswithin the pockets.

Preferably, wherein the hanger loop is connected to the first rigidmember. Additionally, the invention may include a second rigid memberadapted to extend along the distal edge of the second side wall. Therigid members may optionally be telescopically retractable.

Preferably, the side walls are rectangular in shape and the end wallshave three sides, two of which may be curved. The co-operating separablefastening means used to join adjacent edges of the side walls to the endwalls is preferably a zipper, but may also be any other type of fastenersuch as velcro. The top closure means may be any type of co-operatingseparable fastener extending along the distal edge of the side walls,such as a zipper or a velcro flap.

The bag may also comprise carrying means disposed on the exteriorsurface of the bag to facilitate hand-held transport of the bag when inthe second configuration. The carrying means preferably comprises twoflexible loops attached to respective side walls of the bag. A separableshoulder strap may also be provided on the bag, the length of which mayoptionally be adjustable.

The pockets are preferably formed from mesh nylon material and areindividually shaped and sized to retain a specific item of equipment orclothing. The pockets are generally transparent and may be labelled todenote the specific item to be retained therein, or may be coded inanother way to ensure items are stored in appropriate pockets. Thepockets are preferably openable at the edge nearest the distal edge ofthe first side wall, and may be closable with a cooperating separablefastener such as velcro or a zipper. An outer pocket may be disposed onthe exterior of a side wall, for storage of miscellaneous items.

An advantage is that the vertical hanging of the bag when in a planarconfiguration does not impart mess and disarray to the surrounding areaand is adequately compact to allow drying in a limited space. Thehanging of the bag via a hanger loop allows convenient hanging from asingle point. The rigid member distributes the weight of the bag acrossthe entire first distal edge, thereby minimizing the chance of the bagripping while it is suspended vertically.

Another advantage of the invention is that sports equipment and clothingcan be organized in the sports bag so that each item has a correspondingcompartment, and thus all of the equipment items can readily be viewed.If an item is missing, its absence is readily detected via the presenceof an empty pocket. The potential for losing, forgetting or misplacingequipment is virtually eliminated.

A further advantage of the invention is that moisture-laden clothing andequipment need not be removed from the pockets to expedite drying, sinceambient air can circulate through the pocket material when the bag isopened to a planar configuration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sports bag in the closed configurationaccording to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sports bag in the closed configurationaccording to a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the sports bag in the planar configurationaccording to the first embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a front view of the sports bag in the planar configurationaccording to the second embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the sports bag shown in FIG. 1, side walls (2) and end wails (4) arehinged upwardly from a base (1) (see FIG. 3) and are connected togetherby zippers (14) at the adjacent edges. Small handles (7) and largehandles (5), comprised of loops of a flexible material, are connected tothe side walls (2) of the bag. A velcro closure (8) with co-operatingportions disposed on respective distal edges of the side walls is usedto enclose the interior of the bag. A pocket (10) is placed on theexterior of a side wall (2) of the bag. In this embodiment, the largerhandles may optionally be used to carry the bag over the shoulder. Theend walls are curved at the edges which abut the side walls.

The sports bag shown in FIG. 2 is in the closed configuration with sidewalls (2) and end walls (4) hinged upwardly from the base (1) (see FIG.4) and connected together by zippers (14). The handles (6) are of alength which extends the loop further along the length of the side walls(2) than in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. The handles (6) facilitateboth hand-held transport of the bag and over-the-shoulder carrying. Inthis embodiment, the end walls are straight at the edges which abut theside walls, so that the end walls are essentially triangular in shape.At the base of the zippers, a tab (not shown) may be placed on theexterior surface of the bag, which tab may be grasped for stability toassist in zipping the side walls to the end walls.

FIG. 3 shows the sports bag of FIG. 1 in an opened configuration so thatthe side walls (2) and end walls (4) are co-planar with the base (1).Hanger loop (12) is disposed at the distal end of one of the side walls(2) to allow the bag to be hung vertically from a hook or rod. Pockets(15-23) made of a mesh nylon fabric are disposed on the interiorsurfaces of the side walls (2) and base (1) which allow for theinsertion of items of hockey equipment in a predetermined order andarrangement. Pockets may either be elasticized along the opening side,or may be closed with velcro tabs (25). Rigid members (9), (11) arelocated at the distal edges of the side walls. The uppermost rigidsupporting member (9) and the hanger loop (12) may be connected to eachother.

FIG. 4 shows the sports bag of FIG. 2 in the opened (planar)configuration. A different arrangement of the interior pockets isillustrated. Again, velcro tabs may be used to ensure closure of thepockets and to help keep the contents of the pockets contained.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, pockets may be sized to accommodate items such asshoulder pads (pocket 15), elbow pads (pocket 16), gloves (pocket 17),miscellaneous items (pocket 18), skates (pocket 19), a helmet (pocket20), shin guards (pocket 21), neck guard (pocket 22), and hockey pants(pocket 23). Paired items which may be stored together in a pocket, suchas shin guards (pocket 21, FIG. 3), may alternatively be storedseparately (pockets 21, FIG. 4).

In an alternative embodiment, the pockets are individually labelled withthe names of the individual items of sports equipment to be retainedtherein. Also, the open end of each pocket may be closable with a zipperor velcro, or may be elasticized to ensure that the item containedtherein is held securely, but is easily accessible without the extrastep of deploying a zipper or velcro closure. Optionally, a pocket mayhave an opening on a side edge instead of at the top edge, which may beadvantageous for access to the contents of the pocket. Such a sideopening pocket may also be closable with a zipper or velcro, or may beelasticized. Side access would prevent the contents of the pocket fromfalling out when the bag is closed, particularly if, in the closedconfiguration, the opening of the pocket would have been directed towardthe base, such as pockets 21-23 in FIG. 3.

Preferably, the pockets are arranged for optimization of space andweight distribution within the bag. Various arrangements of the pocketsare anticipated by the invention, and the invention is not limited tothe pocket arrangements of the illustrated embodiments. Heavier itemssuch as skates and a helmet may be kept in pockets on the interiorsurface of the base of the bag, whereas lighter articles of clothingsuch as hockey pants can be kept in pockets near the distal end of theside wall. Additionally, it is preferable that items are balanced withinthe bag so that one end will not be heavier than another.

A rigid member (9), such as an elongate rod, is provided longitudinallyalong the edge of the side wall having the hanger, and a rigid member(11) may optionally be provided on the corresponding distal edge of theother side wall, to facilitate hanging the bag vertically in a planarformation and to avoid buckling. The uppermost rigid member (9) alsoserves to distribute the weight of the equipment across the length ofthe distal edge of the side wall when the bag is hung up, therebyreducing tearing of the material. These rigid members, as well as thehanger itself, may be made detachable from the bag. Alternatively, therigid member (9) or members (9), (11) may be telescopically retractableto reduce bulkiness.

The size of the bag may vary, depending on the particular equipment tobe contained therein. For example, young athletes have smaller sizedequipment which would not require as much storage space as the equipmentintended for a mature (e.g. adult) athlete. In a further embodiment, asmaller sized bag is provided for referees and coaches, with pocketsspecialized for items of clothing and equipment required by theseindividuals.

While particularly suitable for hockey equipment, modified versions ofthe bag would be suitable for other sports, such as baseball andfootball, or athletic activities such as track, or even for activitiessuch as water sports, where wet equipment and accessories (such astowels) need storing or transporting.

In summary, the sports bag of the present invention thus assists inorganization of equipment within the bag and promotes moistureevaporation from the items inside the bag without removal of the itemsfrom the bag.

I claim:
 1. A sports bag for promoting evaporative drying of itemscontained therein, the sports bag comprising: a) a substantiallyrectangular base; b) first and second side walls hingedly connected torespective opposite side edges of the base; c) first and second endwalls hingedly connected to respective opposite end edges of the base;the side walls and end walls being formed of a flexible material and, ina first configuration, the base, side walls and end walls are co-planar,and, in a second configuration, the side walls and end walls extendupwardly from the base, and edges of the end walls are joined toadjacent edges of the side walls via co-operating separable fasteningmeans; i) a plurality of pockets for retaining items of sports equipmentand clothing disposed on interior surfaces of the base and side walls,the pockets comprising a moisture- and air-permeable material whichpermits air to circulate therethrough, the pockets being dimensioned andarranged to facilitate storage, balancing and sorting of items of sportsequipment; ii) top closure means to releasably connect distal edges ofthe side walls, thereby enclosing the interior surface of the bag whenin the second configuration; and iii) a hanger mechanism connected tothe distal edge of the first side wall, the hanger mechanism having afirst rigid member adapted to extend along the distal edge of the firstside wall, and a centrally located hanger loop, said rigid member beingdetachable; whereby the sports bag may be suspended vertically by thehanger loop when in the first configuration to allow for evaporativedrying of items within the pockets.
 2. A sports bag according to claim1, wherein the hanger loop is connected to the first rigid member.
 3. Asports bag according to claim 1, further comprising a second rigidmember adapted to extend along the distal edge of the second side wall.4. A sports bag according to claim 1, wherein the pockets are openableat the edge nearest the distal edge of the first side wall.
 5. A sportsbag according to claim 1, further comprising carrying means disposed onthe exterior surface of the bag to facilitate hand-held transport of thebag when in the second configuration.
 6. A sports bag according to claim5, wherein the carrying means comprises two flexible loops attached torespective side walls of the bag.
 7. A sports bag according to claim 1,further comprising a separable shoulder strap.
 8. A sports bag accordingto claim 7, wherein the length of the shoulder strap is adjustable.
 9. Asports bag according to claim 1, wherein the side walls are rectangularin shape and the end walls have three sides.
 10. A sports bag accordingto claim 9, wherein the two edges of each end wall which are notattached to the base are curved.
 11. A sports bag according to claim 1,wherein the co-operating separable fastening means is a zipper.
 12. Asports bag according to claim 1, wherein the top closure means is aco-operating separable fastener extending along the distal edge of theside walls.
 13. A sports bag according to claim 12, wherein theco-operating separable fastener extending along the distal edge of theside walls is a velcro flap.
 14. A sports bag according to claim 1,wherein some or all the pockets are closable with a co-operatingseparable fastener.
 15. A sports bag according to claim 14, wherein theco-operating separable fastener for closing the pockets comprisesvelcro.
 16. A sports bag according to claim 1, wherein the pockets arecomprised of mesh nylon material.
 17. A sports bag according to claim 1,wherein the pockets are individually shaped to retain a specific item ofsports equipment or clothing.
 18. A sports bag according to claim 17,wherein one or more of the pockets is labelled or coded to denote thespecific item to be retained therein.
 19. A sports bag according toclaim 17, wherein pockets for bulky items are located in the base or onportions of the side walls proximal the base.
 20. A sports bag accordingto claim 1, further comprising an outer pocket disposed on the exteriorof a side wall.
 21. A sports bag according to claim 1, wherein the bagis adapted for use in transport and storage of hockey equipment.